He told that Form T/A 912A manual authorisation chit, or paper line-clear ticket, was “erroneously” issued to the loco pilots of both goods and express trains in the absence of a functional automatic signalling system. The chit allowed the goods train to pass without reducing speed, leading to the accident in which 10 people were killed.
Question of goods train loco pilot travelling at speed above prescribed limit Speed Limit Officials said that there is no mention of speed in T/A 912, so the question does not arise. The authority with a speed limit of 25 kmph is different from T/D 912.
Based on what was reiterated by Railway Board Chairperson and CEO Jaya Verma Sinha and CPROs of at least two railway zones, it was believed till Tuesday that the deceased loco pilot of the goods train had “disregarded” signals and speed limits. The assumption was that the goods train was running at almost three times the speed limit of 15 kmph.
Current and former railway officials that the Times of India spoke to on Wednesday suggested that the root of the problem was probably signalling. They also questioned the veracity of the norms being officially quoted from the Indian Railways’ General and Auxiliary Rule Book (2004 edition). Officials reiterated that there should be no speed restriction in Form T/A 912 because no train other than the train that receives this manual all-clear is authorised to cross the rail section during a signal failure.,
“Only when work is going on on the tracks in a particular section, the maximum speed limit is mentioned.” Authority Note“The speed restriction being cited is followed when the automatic signals are functioning normally and the red signal is on,” an official said.
When the loco pilot sees a yellow light at a signal, he has to stop his speed. If there are two yellow lights at the next signal, the speed is controlled or reduced. Then the train comes to a complete stop at the red signal.
The train has to wait for one minute at the signal during the day and two minutes at night, after which it has to proceed at a speed of 10-15 kmph depending on the visibility. “When the rear of another train is visible, the train has to stop at least 150 metres before,” the official said.
This is in line with the SOP mentioned in the G&SR book and prominently displayed on a board in the cabin crew lobby of New Jalpaiguri station, where the accident occurred on Monday.
If there is a failure in signalling, the SOP is different. “In such a situation, the loco pilot can proceed only when the station master issues authorisation through Form T/A 912. This paper signal is issued only when there is no train in the block ahead,” said Amit Ghosh, assistant general secretary, All India Railwaymen’s Federation.
“Once the loco driver gets this form, he can proceed at normal speed till the end of the block. This is exactly what the loco driver of the goods train was doing. He had no idea about the presence of the Kanchenjunga Express ahead, as the track should have been clear till Chattar Hat station.”
The standard practice is that the two station masters at either end of the section confirm that there is no train on the section and share a two-three digit private number, similar to an OTP, which is then noted in the logbooks at both stations. Only then is a fresh authorisation issued to the second train to proceed through the section.
Loco pilots of South Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway also confirmed this. The station master of Rangapani had issued T/A 912 to the loco pilots of both trains. The form given to the pilot of Kanchenjunga Express at 8.20 am was numbered 4,917, which allowed the train to proceed towards Chattar Hat bypassing the nine signals mentioned in the note. The note asked the loco pilot to cross all level crossings after confirming that the gates were closed. The Rangapani station master also gave permission to the goods train to proceed towards Chattar Hat (T/A 912, serial number 4,918) at 8.35 am when the express train was barely 2.5 km away on the 14 km stretch between Rangapani and Chattar Hat.
The Times of India has copies of both the forms. A former railway official said, “How did the stationmaster issue the authorisation to the loco pilot of the goods train without taking approval from the Chattar Hat stationmaster? During a signal failure, no train is allowed to pass through a block section unless another previous train has passed through that section.”
Signalling on the section where the accident occurred had been introduced only seven months earlier. Subsequently (on 10 November 2023) the NF Railway edition of the G&SR Book was amended.
